Bitcoin rips past $82,000, shorts liquidated after President Trump halts Hormuz operation sending oil price spiralling

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Bitcoin rose above $82,000 as oil prices tumbled amid a powerful tailwind from a sudden and dramatic de-escalation in US-Iran geopolitical tensions.

Data from CryptoSlate showed that BTC extended a weeklong rebound that has lifted its value by more than 7% this week after President Donald Trump paused a US military operation in the Strait of Hormuz.

BTC’s upward price movement led to the liquidation of over $200 million from short traders during the last 24 hours, according to CoinGlass data.

This came as reports of a possible US-Iran framework eased fears that the conflict would continue disrupting one of the world’s most important energy corridors.

Following the news, crude oil prices entered a freefall, with Brent crude plunging by 10% to $97 per barrel, effectively erasing a significant portion of the geopolitical risk premium that had built up since late February. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) mirrored the collapse, sliding 9.82% to $88 per barrel.

A sudden thaw in the Strait of Hormuz

The catalyst for the shifting global tides began with Trump’s decision to pause “Project Freedom,” the US operation aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz to stranded commercial ships.

Trump said the pause would be short while Washington tested whether a final agreement with Iran could be reached.

The move marked a change in tone after weeks of military pressure around one of the world’s most important energy corridors, where shipping restrictions had fed volatility across crude, refined products, and Asian energy markets.

Meanwhile, this pause was followed by reports that the US and Iran were moving toward a memorandum of understanding aimed at halting the conflict and creating room for broader negotiations.

The proposed framework, led on the US side by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, would seek to normalize commercial transit through the Strait of Hormuz while opening a path toward a wider settlement.

Following this news, Trump wrote on Truth Social:

“Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran.”

Notably, Tehran also softened its public posture.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy said transit through the Strait of Hormuz was secure, citing the end of US threats and new procedures for vessels moving through the area. The Guards did not describe the measures in detail, but thanked ship owners and captains for complying with Iranian rules.

For markets, the immediate effect of these developments was visible in oil. Crude prices fell sharply as traders reduced the war premium tied to Hormuz disruption.

That gave Bitcoin and other risk assets a clearer macro backdrop, as lower oil prices eased fears that an energy shock would feed inflation, delay Federal Reserve rate cuts, and tighten financial conditions.

Bitcoin catches relief bid as institutional demand deepens

Bitcoin’s climb above $82,000 put it back near a supply zone traders have watched since the market broke down earlier this year, with the $80,000 to $85,000 range emerging as a key test for the rebound.

That zone combines former support, short-term profit-taking, and new leveraged positioning. A clean move through it could strengthen the market’s longer-term structure, while another rejection would suggest the rally still depends on fragile macro relief rather than durable spot demand.

Considering this, market experts believe the current wave of institutional demand could lift the top crypto out of the range.

Notably, US-listed Bitcoin exchange-traded funds have seen renewed demand since the start of May, reinforcing the rebound through regulated investment channels rather than only through offshore leverage.

Data from SoSo Value show that the funds have attracted more than $1.6 billion in net inflows since May 1, bringing cumulative inflows close to $60 billion and assets under management to about $109 billion.

Meanwhile, the ETF inflows are only one part of the absorption story. Jamie Coutts, chief crypto analyst at Real Vision, said the primary marginal bid in Bitcoin is increasingly coming from corporate treasuries rather than ETFs.

Coutts said ETFs are absorbing about 1,160 Bitcoin per day, while treasury companies, led by Strategy, are running at roughly 1,834 Bitcoin per day. Strategy bought more than 50,000 Bitcoin in April alone, he said, adding that a breakthrough to the $80,000 to $85,000 range would affect the longer-term trend structure.

Corporate treasury buying changes the market’s supply profile because companies that add Bitcoin to their balance sheets tend to remove coins from liquid circulation for longer periods.

That can strengthen rallies when spot demand rises, but it can also leave the market exposed if issuance slows or corporate financing conditions tighten.

Andre Dragosch, Bitwise Europe’s head of research, said institutional investors accounted for nearly all positive capital flows into Bitcoin over the past month. He said institutional demand totaled about 93,100 Bitcoin, more than offsetting on-chain selling pressure during the period.

Retail demand is also beginning to recover, though it remains a secondary signal. CryptoQuant data showed its 30-day retail demand metric turned positive after several months of weakness, rising to 3.7% from a negative reading earlier this year.

The shift suggests smaller investors are returning after selling into strength during the first quarter.

For now, the stronger support comes from institutional accumulation, ETF inflows, and corporate treasury demand.

Together, those sources of buying have helped Bitcoin move back above $80,000 and given traders a clearer test of whether the rebound can extend beyond a macro relief rally.

Derivatives and options traders target further upside above $90,000

While spot demand provides a robust floor, the velocity of Bitcoin’s current move is heavily augmented by the derivatives market.

On the leading options exchange Deribit, call options, which are bullish bets on future price appreciation, with strike prices above $82,000, have dominated trading volumes over the past 24 hours.

For context, call options with strikes at $85,000 and $90,000 have drawn open interest of more than $2.2 billion as of press time.

The sheer amount of leverage entering the system has some analysts raising red flags.

Joao Wedson, CEO of quantitative firm Alphractal, pointed out the staggering accumulation of speculative capital. He noted:

“Bitcoin Open Interest has broken above $50 billion USD, and we haven’t even added CME yet.”

This buildup of open interest is inextricably linked to technical upside targets, specifically the much-discussed “CME gap.”

Because the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s Bitcoin futures only trade on weekdays, massive price movements during the weekend create unfilled gaps on the chart.

Analysts at CryptoQuant identify the $93,000 level as the next major upside magnet, driven by an unresolved gap.

According to CryptoQuant’s mechanics, these gaps act as liquidity vacuums. When open interest surges to extreme levels, the market builds up kinetic energy that must eventually be released through cascading liquidations or profit-taking.

So, this $93,000 gap represents a historical zone of low liquidity, and price action often gravitates toward it as massive leveraged positions are unwound and rebalanced.

However, analysts caution that if leverage continues to outpace actual spot buying, the market could face a sharp downward reset to flush out late-arriving long positions before making a legitimate attempt at the $93,000 milestone.